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Vincze E, Kačergytė I, Gaviraghi Mussoi J, Urhan U, Brodin A. Are comparable studies really comparable? Suggestions from a problem-solving experiment on urban and rural great tits. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:47. [PMID: 38980424 PMCID: PMC11233327 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01885-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Performance in tests of various cognitive abilities has often been compared, both within and between species. In intraspecific comparisons, habitat effects on cognition has been a popular topic, frequently with an underlying assumption that urban animals should perform better than their rural conspecifics. In this study, we tested problem-solving ability in great tits Parus major, in a string-pulling and a plug-opening test. Our aim was to compare performance between urban and rural great tits, and to compare their performance with previously published problem solving studies. Our great tits perfomed better in string-pulling than their conspecifics in previous studies (solving success: 54%), and better than their close relative, the mountain chickadee Poecile gambeli, in the plug-opening test (solving success: 70%). Solving latency became shorter over four repeated sessions, indicating learning abilities, and showed among-individual correlation between the two tests. However, the solving ability did not differ between habitat types in either test. Somewhat unexpectedly, we found marked differences between study years even though we tried to keep conditions identical. These were probably due to small changes to the experimental protocol between years, for example the unavoidable changes of observers and changes in the size and material of test devices. This has an important implication: if small changes in an otherwise identical set-up can have strong effects, meaningful comparisons of cognitive performance between different labs must be extremely hard. In a wider perspective this highlights the replicability problem often present in animal behaviour studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernő Vincze
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, S-223 62, Sweden.
- HUN-REN - PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Centre for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, Veszprém, Hungary.
| | - Ineta Kačergytė
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, S-223 62, Sweden
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7044, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden
| | - Juliane Gaviraghi Mussoi
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, S-223 62, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Utku Urhan
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, S-223 62, Sweden
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anders Brodin
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, S-223 62, Sweden
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2
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Damas-Moreira I, Szabo B, Drosopoulos G, Stober C, Lisičić D, Caspers BA. Smarter in the city? Lizards from urban and semi-natural habitats do not differ in a cognitive task in two syntopic species. Curr Zool 2024; 70:361-370. [PMID: 39035752 PMCID: PMC11255991 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization occurs at a global scale, imposing dramatic and abrupt environmental changes that lead to biodiversity loss. Yet, some animal species can handle these changes, and thrive in such artificial environments. One possible explanation is that urban individuals are equipped with better cognitive abilities, but most studies have focused on birds and mammals and yielded varied results. Reptiles have received much less attention, despite some lizard species being common city dwellers. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, and the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, are two successful lizards in anthropogenic habitats that thrive in urban locations. To test for differences in a cognitive skill between urban and semi-natural environments, we investigated inhibitory control through a detour task in syntopic populations of the two species, across 249 lizards that were tested in partially artificial field settings. Sophisticated inhibitory control is considered essential for higher degrees of cognitive flexibility and other higher-level cognitive abilities. In this task, we confronted lizards with a transparent barrier, separating them from a desired shelter area that they could only reach by controlling their impulse to go straight and instead detour the barrier. We found no differences between lizards in urban and semi-natural environments, nor between species, but females overall performed better than males. Moreover, 48% of the lizards in our study did not perform a correct trial in any of the 5 trials, hinting at the difficulty of the task for these species. This study is among the first to address lizard cognition, through their inhibitory control, as a potential explanation for success in cities and highlights one should be careful with assuming that urban animals generally have enhanced cognitive performance, as it might be taxa, task, or condition dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Birgit Szabo
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, 3032, Switzerland
| | | | - Carolin Stober
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
| | - Duje Lisičić
- Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Barbara A Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
- Joint Institute of Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
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3
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Schuppli C, Nellissen L, Carvajal L, Ashbury AM, Oliver-Caldwell N, Rahmaeti T, Laumer I, Haun D. Ecological, social, and intrinsic factors affecting wild orangutans' curiosity, assessed using a field experiment. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13184. [PMID: 37580333 PMCID: PMC10425418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39214-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The readiness to interact with and explore novel stimuli-i.e., curiosity-is the cornerstone of innovation. Great apes show broad and complex innovation repertoires. However, little is known about the factors that affect curiosity in wild apes. To shed light on wild apes' curiosity, we measured the reactions of wild Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) to an experiment apparatus. Overall, individuals were reluctant to touch the apparatus. However, compared to adults, immatures showed higher tendencies to explore (measured through looking durations and the probability of touching the apparatus) and to approach (measured through approach latencies and approach distances) the apparatus but were more likely to show behavioral signs of agitation. The presence of conspecifics who approached the apparatus increased visual exploration and approach tendencies. Prevailing habitat food availability positively affected visual exploration but had a negative effect on approach tendencies. These findings indicate that intrinsic, social, and ecological factors affect reactions to novelty in wild orangutans and suggest that exploration, neophobia and neophilia are independently regulated. Because reactions to novelty can be an essential pathway to innovation, our results suggest that factors acting on different elements of curiosity must be considered to understand the evolution of innovative tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany.
- Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59, 04109, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Lara Nellissen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Éco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP 135, Rue Cuvier, 75 231, Paris Cedex 5, France
- Institute of Biology, Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Luz Carvajal
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Alison M Ashbury
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Natalie Oliver-Caldwell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tri Rahmaeti
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, Graduate School, Universitas Nasional, Jalan Sawo Manila, RT.14/RW.3, Jakarta, 12550, Indonesia
| | - Isabelle Laumer
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Daniel Haun
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Hitt LG, Khalil S, Blanchette A, Finkelstein ME, Iverson ENK, McClelland SC, Durães Ribeiro R, Karubian J. Lead exposure is correlated with reduced nesting success of an urban songbird. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 227:115711. [PMID: 36940819 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Lead exposure is a concern in urban ecosystems, with physiological and behavioral effects well documented in humans. Wildlife inhabiting urban ecosystems are also exposed to lead, yet little work has documented the sublethal effects of lead exposure in urban wildlife. We studied northern mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) in three neighborhoods of New Orleans, Louisiana, two with high soil lead and one with low soil lead, to better understand how lead exposure may influence mockingbirds' reproductive biology. We monitored nesting attempts, measured lead concentrations in blood and feathers of nestling mockingbirds, documented egg hatching and nesting success, and assessed rates of sexual promiscuity in relation to neighborhood soil lead levels. We found that nestling mockingbirds' blood and feather lead levels reflected the soil lead levels of their neighborhoods and nestling blood lead levels were similar to those of adult mockingbirds in the same neighborhoods. Nest success, as evaluated by daily nest survival rates, was higher in the lower lead neighborhood. Clutch sizes varied substantially across neighborhoods, but rates of unhatched eggs did not covary with neighborhood lead levels, suggesting that other drivers are influencing variation in clutch sizes and hatching success in urban habitats. At least one-third of nestling mockingbirds were sired by an extra-pair male, and there was no relationship between extra-pair paternity rates and neighborhood lead levels. This study provides insight on how lead contamination may influence reproduction in urban-dwelling wildlife and suggests that nestling birds could serve as useful bioindicators of lead levels in urban neighborhoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren G Hitt
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA; University of California, Davis, Department of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Sarah Khalil
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Annelise Blanchette
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Myra E Finkelstein
- University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Erik N K Iverson
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA; University of Texas at Austin, Department of Integrative Biology, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Renata Durães Ribeiro
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Tulane University, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
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5
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Brodin A, Watson H. Feather corticosterone reveals that urban great tits experience lower corticosterone exposure than forest individuals during dominance-rank establishment. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad033. [PMID: 37256103 PMCID: PMC10225983 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Although the consequences of urbanization for the physiological health of animals are the focus of much active research, an overlooked aspect is how physiology could be indirectly modulated by the urban environment via changes in intraspecific behavioural interactions, particularly among gregarious species. Both urbanization and the establishment, as well as maintenance, of hierarchical rank position are processes that could incur physiological stress. Measurements of glucocorticoids (GCs) in relation to urbanization, however, have yielded inconsistent results. In most cases, GCs have been measured in blood, offering only a 'snapshot' of an animal's current physiological state. Because circulating GCs are incorporated into growing feathers or hair, measurements of feather/hair GCs offer a longer term measure of stress exposure reflecting the whole period of feather/hair growth. During two calendar years, we collected tail feathers from 188 urban and forest great tits (P. major) across multiple sampling sites and analysed corticosterone (CORT-the main GC in birds) levels, reflecting CORT exposure during the extended period in late summer and early autumn when great tits moult and winter flocks are formed. Urban individuals exhibited consistently lower feather CORT (fCORT) levels than forest birds indicating lower overall exposure to CORT during this period. The lower fCORT levels in urban individuals could represent an adaptation to cope with the more challenging urban environment, physiological constraints on stress axis function or a trade-off between the ability to respond to stressors and predation risk during moult. Despite the expectation that CORT responses to urbanization are highly context-dependent, the spatial consistency of our results and agreement with a multi-population study of fCORT in European blackbirds (Turdus merula) suggests a generalization of the effect of urbanization on CORT exposure during post-breeding moult (i.e. not site- or species-specific).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Brodin
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Naturvetarvägen 6A, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden.
| | - Hannah Watson
- Department of Biology, Naturvetarvägen 6A, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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6
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Lamarre J, Cheema SK, Robertson GJ, Wilson DR. Foraging on anthropogenic food predicts problem-solving skills in a seabird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 850:157732. [PMID: 35931163 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Species and populations with greater cognitive performance are more successful at adapting to changing habitats. Accordingly, urban species and populations often outperform their rural counterparts on problem-solving tests. Paradoxically, urban foraging also might be detrimental to the development and integrity of animals' brains because anthropogenic foods often lack essential nutrients such as the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are important for cognitive performance in mammals and possibly birds. We tested whether urbanization or consumption of EPA and DHA are associated with problem-solving abilities in ring-billed gulls, a seabird that historically exploited marine environments rich in omega-3 fatty acids but now also thrives in urban centres. Using incubating adults nesting across a range of rural to urban colonies with equal access to the ocean, we tested whether urban gulls preferentially consumed anthropogenic food while rural nesters relied on marine organisms. As we expected individual variation in foraging habits within nesting location, we characterized each captured gulls' diet using stable isotope and fatty acid analyses of their red blood cells. To test their problem-solving abilities, we presented the sampled birds with a horizontal rendition of the string-pull test, a foraging puzzle often used in animal cognitive studies. The isotopic and fatty acid profiles of urban nesters indicated a diet comprising primarily anthropogenic food, whereas the profiles of rural nesters indicated a high reliance on marine organisms. Despite the gulls' degree of access to urban foraging habitat not predicting solving success, birds with biochemical profiles reflecting anthropogenic food (less DHA and a higher carbon-13 ratio in their red blood cells) had a greater probability of solving the string-pull test. These results suggest that experience foraging on anthropogenic food is the main explanatory factor leading to successful problem-solving, while regular consumption of omega-3s during incubation appears inconsequential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessika Lamarre
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Canada.
| | - Sukhinder Kaur Cheema
- Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Canada
| | - Gregory J Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Canada
| | - David R Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Canada
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7
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Yin J, Yu G, Zhang J, Li J. Behavioral laterality is correlated with problem-solving performance in a songbird. Anim Cogn 2022; 26:837-848. [PMID: 36449141 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01724-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Cerebral lateralization, which is often reflected in an individual's behavioral laterality (e.g., handedness and footedness), may bring animals certain benefits such as enhanced cognitive performance. Although the lateralization-cognition relationship has been widely studied in humans and other animals, current evidence supporting their relationship is ambiguous and warrants additional insights from more studies. Moreover, the lateralization-cognition relationship in non-human animals has been mostly studied in human-reared populations, and investigations of wild populations are particularly scarce. Here, we test the footedness of wild-caught male yellow-bellied tits (Pardaliparus venustulus) and investigate its association with their performance in learning to solve a toothpick-pulling problem and a drawer-opening problem. The tested birds showed an overall trend to gradually spent less time solving the problems, implying that they learned to solve the problems. Left- and right-footed individuals showed no significant differences in the latency to explore the experimental apparatuses and in the proportions that completed and did not complete the tasks. However, the left-footed individuals learned faster than the right-footed individuals in the drawer-opening experiment, indicating a potential cognitive advantage associated with left-footedness. These results contribute to the understanding of the behavioral differences between differently footed individuals and, in particular, the relationship between lateralization and cognitive ability in wild animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangnan Yin
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Gaoyang Yu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jinggang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianqiang Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
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8
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Capilla‐Lasheras P, Thompson MJ, Sánchez‐Tójar A, Haddou Y, Branston CJ, Réale D, Charmantier A, Dominoni DM. A global meta-analysis reveals higher variation in breeding phenology in urban birds than in their non-urban neighbours. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2552-2570. [PMID: 36136999 PMCID: PMC9826320 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Cities pose a major ecological challenge for wildlife worldwide. Phenotypic variation, which can result from underlying genetic variation or plasticity, is an important metric to understand eco-evolutionary responses to environmental change. Recent work suggests that urban populations might have higher levels of phenotypic variation than non-urban counterparts. This prediction, however, has never been tested across species nor over a broad geographical range. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of the avian literature to compare urban versus non-urban means and variation in phenology (i.e. lay date) and reproductive effort (i.e. clutch size, number of fledglings). First, we show that urban populations reproduce earlier and have smaller broods than non-urban conspecifics. Second, we show that urban populations have higher phenotypic variation in laying date than non-urban populations. This result arises from differences between populations within breeding seasons, conceivably due to higher landscape heterogeneity in urban habitats. These findings reveal a novel effect of urbanisation on animal life histories with potential implications for species adaptation to urban environments (which will require further investigation). The higher variation in phenology in birds subjected to urban disturbance could result from plastic responses to a heterogeneous environment, or from higher genetic variation in phenology, possibly linked to higher evolutionary potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Capilla‐Lasheras
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Megan J. Thompson
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec à MontréalMontrealCanada,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et EvolutiveUniversité de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | | | - Yacob Haddou
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Claire J. Branston
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec à MontréalMontrealCanada
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et EvolutiveUniversité de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Davide M. Dominoni
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
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9
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De Meester G, Van Linden L, Torfs J, Pafilis P, Šunje E, Steenssens D, Zulčić T, Sassalos A, Van Damme R. Learning with lacertids: Studying the link between ecology and cognition within a comparative framework. Evolution 2022; 76:2531-2552. [PMID: 36111365 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Cognition is an essential tool for animals to deal with environmental challenges. Nonetheless, the ecological forces driving the evolution of cognition throughout the animal kingdom remain enigmatic. Large-scale comparative studies on multiple species and cognitive traits have been advanced as the best way to facilitate our understanding of cognitive evolution, but such studies are rare. Here, we tested 13 species of lacertid lizards (Reptilia: Lacertidae) using a battery of cognitive tests measuring inhibitory control, problem-solving, and spatial and reversal learning. Next, we tested the relationship between species' performance and (a) resource availability (temperature and precipitation), habitat complexity (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and habitat variability (seasonality) in their natural habitat and (b) their life history (size at hatching and maturity, clutch size, and frequency). Although species differed markedly in their cognitive abilities, such variation was mostly unrelated to their ecology and life history. Yet, species living in more variable environments exhibited lower behavioral flexibility, likely due to energetic constrains in such habitats. Our standardized protocols provide opportunities for collaborative research, allowing increased sample sizes and replication, essential for moving forward in the field of comparative cognition. Follow-up studies could include more detailed measures of habitat structure and look at other potential selective drivers such as predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium.,Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 157 84, Greece
| | - Lisa Van Linden
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Jonas Torfs
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 157 84, Greece
| | - Emina Šunje
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina.,Herpetological Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHHU: ATRA, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Dries Steenssens
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Tea Zulčić
- Herpetological Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHHU: ATRA, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Athanasios Sassalos
- Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 157 84, Greece
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
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10
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Effects of early-life experience on innovation and problem-solving in captive coyotes. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03251-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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11
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Connelly F, Hall ML, Johnsson RD, Elliot-Kerr S, Dow BR, Lesku JA, Mulder RA. Urban noise does not affect cognitive performance in wild Australian magpies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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12
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Vincze E, Kovács B. Urbanization’s Effects on Problem Solving Abilities: A Meta-Analysis. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.834436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive abilities are often assumed to be advantageous in urban habitats, but relatively few studies tested this assumption. In a meta-analysis, we tested whether urban animals have better problem-solving abilities compared to their less urbanized conspecifics. After screening 210 papers we collected by keyword search and forward search, we found 12 studies that compared the ability to solve food-extraction or obstacle-removal problems between urban and non-urban populations of the same animal species. These studies were published between 2009 and 2021, and were performed mostly on birds, whereas a quarter of them used mammals as study species. We found a statistically non-significant trend that urban animals are more successful and faster problem-solvers compared to their less urbanized conspecifics. However, both solving success and solving latency effect sizes were highly heterogeneous, therefore hard to generalize. Though the sample was too low to test the factors explaining this high heterogeneity, we suggest that it may be explained by variation in task types, study species, definitions of urbanization, whether the study was performed on captive or free-living animals, geographical location, or publication bias in both directions. Altogether, more studies are needed to either confirm or disprove this trend.
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13
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Weaver M, McGraw KJ. Context-dependent variation in innovation as a function of urbanization in a songbird. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Recent human-induced transformations to the environment are significantly impacting wild animal populations. Whereas some animals thrive due to these changes, others are being extinguished. Many studies have attempted to identify behavioural traits (e.g. personality, diet versatility, cognition) that allow some animals to succeed in human-dominated landscapes, but few have studied multiple traits or environmental contexts concurrently, despite the fact that different environments may require different types of behavioural performance. We presented house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) captured from urban, suburban, and rural sites with two different environmental problems to solve (escaping from a confinement and finding food in multiple feeding structures) and measured the success and speed of solving the challenge as well as activity levels and stress behaviours of the birds. We found that urban birds were better at solving the escape challenge, but there was no difference in finding a hidden food source. In addition, we found that birds who solved the escape challenge were more active than those who did not solve this problem, although we observed no such behavioural difference in the food challenge. These results indicate that, because problem-solving challenges can vary across environments, certain types of innovation may be prioritized over others in urban-dwelling species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Weaver
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, USA
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14
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Cognition and reproductive success in cowbirds. Learn Behav 2021; 50:178-188. [PMID: 34918202 PMCID: PMC8979880 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-021-00506-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the relationships between cognitive abilities and fitness is integral to an evolutionary study of brain and behavior. However, these relationships are often difficult to measure and detect. Here we draw upon an opportunistic sample of brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) subjects that had two separate research experiences: First, they engaged in a large series of cognitive tests in David Sherry’s Lab in the Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR) at Western University, then subsequently moved to the Field Avian Research Megalab (FARM) at Wilfrid Laurier University where they lived in large breeding flocks in aviaries with other wild-caught cowbirds. Thus, we had extensive measures of cognitive abilities, breeding behavior, and reproductive success for these birds. We report here, for the fist time, the surprisingly strong connections we found among these different measures. Female cowbirds’ spatial cognitive abilities correlated positively with how intensely they were courted by males, and with their overall egg production. Males’ spatial cognition correlated positively with their ability to engage in singing contests (“countersinging”) with other males. In addition, a separate non-spatial cognitive ability correlated positively with the attractiveness of the songs they sung. In sum, these results suggest the cognitive skills assessed in the lab were strongly connected to breeding behavior and reproductive success. Moreover, since certain cognitive abilities related to different aspects of breeding success, it suggests that cognitive modules may have specialized adaptive value, but also that these specialized skills may interact and influence fitness in surprising ways.
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15
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Hernández-Brito D, Tella JL, Blanco G, Carrete M. Nesting innovations allow population growth in an invasive population of rose-ringed parakeets. Curr Zool 2021; 68:617-626. [PMID: 36743230 PMCID: PMC9892788 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Certain traits of recipient environments, such as the availability of limiting resources, strongly determine the establishment success and spread of non-native species. These limitations may be overcome through behavioral plasticity, allowing them to exploit alternative resources. Here, we show how a secondary cavity nester bird, the rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri, innovates its nesting behavior as a response to the shortage of tree cavities for nesting in its invasive range in Tenerife (Canary Islands). We observed that some breeding pairs excavated their own nest cavities in palms, thus becoming primary cavity nester, whereas others occupied nests built with wood sticks by another invasive species, the monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus. The use of these novel nesting strategies increased the number of breeding pairs by up to 52% over 6 years, contributing to a 128.8% increase of the whole population. Innovative nests were located at greater heights above ground and were more aggregated around conspecifics but did not result in greater breeding success than natural cavities. Occupation of monk parakeet colonies by rose-ringed parakeets also benefited the former species through a protective-nesting association against nest predators. Our results show how an invasive species innovate nesting behaviors and increase nest-site availability in the recipient environment, thus facilitating its population growth and invasion process. Potential behavioral innovations in other invasive rose-ringed parakeet populations may be overlooked, and should be considered for effective management plans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José L Tella
- Department of Conservation Biology, Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Calle Américo Vespucio, 26, Sevilla 41092, Spain
| | - Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Martina Carrete
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, km 1, Sevilla 41013, Spain
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16
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Can we build a neuroecology of innovativeness similar to that pioneered by David Sherry for spatial memory? Learn Behav 2021; 50:37-44. [PMID: 34761365 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-021-00493-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
David Sherry's pioneering work on the neuroecology of spatial memory has three characteristics that could inspire studies on other cognitive processes: it was grounded in a robust prior literature in psychology and neuroscience; it identified several natural history contexts in which repeated independent evolution of spatial memory differences had occurred in different clades; it involved a precise cognitive ability with a precise neural substrate. We discuss the application of these three principles to a more domain-general trait-innovation. We argue that targeting the caudolateral nidopallium and its connected areas, favoring problem-solving over reversal learning as an experimental assay, and focusing on situations that involve environmental change, such as urbanization and invasion, can help the study of innovation progress, like the field of spatial memory has since 1989.
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17
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition in Vertebrates: Mate Choice Turns Cognition or Cognition Turns Mate Choice? Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The idea of “smart is sexy,” meaning superior cognition provides competitive benefits in mate choice and, therefore, evolutionary advantages in terms of reproductive fitness, is both exciting and captivating. Cognitively flexible individuals perceive and adapt more dynamically to (unpredictable) environmental changes. The sex roles that females and males adopt within their populations can vary greatly in response to the prevalent mating system. Based on how cognition determines these grossly divergent sex roles, different selection pressures could possibly shape the (progressive) evolution of cognitive abilities, suggesting the potential to induce sexual dimorphisms in superior cognitive abilities. Associations between an individual’s mating success, sexual traits and its cognitive abilities have been found consistently across vertebrate species and taxa, providing evidence that sexual selection may well shape the supporting cognitive prerequisites. Yet, while superior cognitive abilities provide benefits such as higher feeding success, improved antipredator behavior, or more favorable mate choice, they also claim costs such as higher energy levels and metabolic rates, which in turn may reduce fecundity, growth, or immune response. There is compelling evidence in a variety of vertebrate taxa that females appear to prefer skilled problem-solver males, i.e., they prefer those that appear to have better cognitive abilities. Consequently, cognition is also likely to have substantial effects on sexual selection processes. How the choosing sex assesses the cognitive abilities of potential mates has not been explored conclusively yet. Do cognitive skills guide an individual’s mate choice and does learning change an individual’s mate choice decisions? How and to which extent do individuals use their own cognitive skills to assess those of their conspecifics when choosing a mate? How does an individual’s role within a mating system influence the choice of the choosing sex in this context? Drawing on several examples from the vertebrate world, this review aims to elucidate various aspects associated with cognitive sex differences, the different roles of males and females in social and sexual interactions, and the potential influence of cognition on mate choice decisions. Finally, future perspectives aim to identify ways to answer the central question of how the triad of sex, cognition, and mate choice interacts.
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18
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De Meester G, Baeckens S. Reinstating reptiles: from clueless creatures to esteemed models of cognitive biology. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Non-avian reptiles have long been neglect in cognitive science due to their reputation as slow and inflexible learners, but fortunately, this archaic view on reptile cognition is changing rapidly. The last two decades have witnessed a renewed interest in the cognitive capacities of reptiles, and more ecologically relevant protocols have been designed to measure such abilities. Now, we appreciate that reptiles possess an impressive set of cognitive skills, including problem-solving abilities, fast and flexible learning, quantity discrimination, and even social learning. This special issue highlights current research on reptiles in cognitive biology and showcases the diversity of research questions that can be answered by using reptiles as study model. Here, we briefly address (the key results of) the contributing articles and their role in the endeavour for total inclusion of reptiles in cognitive biological research, which is instrumental for our understanding of the evolution of animal cognition. We also discuss and illustrate the promising potential of reptiles as model organisms in various areas of cognitive research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Functional Morphology Lab, Biology Department, University of Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Simon Baeckens
- Functional Morphology Lab, Biology Department, University of Antwerp, Belgium
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19
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Consistency and plasticity of risk-taking behaviour towards humans at the nest in urban and forest great tits, Parus major. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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20
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Rowell MK, Rymer TL. Memory enhances problem solving in the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:347-358. [PMID: 34453668 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01556-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Problem solving is important for survival, allowing animals to access novel food resources or escape from predators. It was originally thought to rely on an animal's intelligence; however, studies examining the relationship between individual cognitive ability and problem solving performance show mixed results, and studies are often restricted to only one cognitive and one problem solving task. We investigated the relationship between general cognitive ability and problem solving across multiple tasks in the fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat Melomys cervinipes. We measured general cognitive ability across different domains (memory in an odour learning association task, recognition in a novel object recognition task, size discrimination using different sized pieces of food, and learning across multiple presentations of a food-baited activity board). We also measured problem solving across different contexts (food-baited puzzle boxes in home cage, obstruction task, and food-baited activity board in a novel arena). Mosaic-tailed rats showed a general cognitive ability, with average problem solving latency, memory ability, and learning in the tile task being correlated. As such, individuals that were able to remember an association and learned to solve the tile task solved the problems faster than individuals that could not remember or learn. Our results suggest that problem solving in mosaic-tailed rats likely relies on some forms of simple cognition, particularly memory, but could also depend on other traits, such as an individual's persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misha K Rowell
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia. .,Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia.
| | - Tasmin L Rymer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia.,Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P. O. Box 6811, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia
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21
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An investigation of population variation in maze exploration and its predictors in wild Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Processes 2021; 192:104475. [PMID: 34375727 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Individuals often face unpredictable and harsh environments, presenting them with novel ecological problems. Behaviour can provide an adaptive response in such conditions and where these conditions vary between populations, we may predict development and evolution to shape differences in behaviour such as exploration, innovation, and learning, as well as other traits. Here, we compared in the wild the maze swimming performance of groups of female guppies from two Trinidadian populations that differ in numerous ecological characteristics, the Upper and Lower Aripo river. Compared to Upper Aripo fish, Lower Aripo fish were slower to complete the maze, our measure of propensity to innovate, and scored lower on a combined measure of activity and exploration. More active-exploratory groups were faster to complete the maze, but only in the Lower Aripo. We found no evidence for learning the maze. Our results suggest that activity-exploratory and innovative propensities can vary between populations, as can predictors of innovation. These findings are consistent with high predation risk shaping decreased activity-exploratory propensities, but further population comparisons are required to reliably determine the drivers of the observed population difference. Our results emphasize that individual and population differences in activity-exploration and innovation can be shaped by numerous factors.
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22
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Cooke AC, Davidson GL, van Oers K, Quinn JL. Motivation, accuracy and positive feedback through experience explain innovative problem solving and its repeatability. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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23
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Chow PKY, Uchida K, von Bayern AMP, Koizumi I. Characteristics of urban environments and novel problem-solving performance in Eurasian red squirrels. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202832. [PMID: 33784870 PMCID: PMC8059950 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban environments can be deemed 'harsh' for some wildlife species, but individuals frequently show behavioural flexibility to cope with challenges and demands posed by life in the city. For example, urban animals often show better performance in solving novel problems than rural conspecifics, which helps when using novel resources under human-modified environments. However, which characteristics of urban environments fine-tune novel problem-solving performance, and their relative importance, remain unclear. Here, we examined how four urban environmental characteristics (direct human disturbance, indirect human disturbance, size of green coverage and squirrel population size) may potentially influence novel problem-solving performance of a successful 'urban dweller', the Eurasian red squirrel, by presenting them with a novel food-extraction problem. We found that increased direct human disturbance, indirect human disturbance and a higher squirrel population size decreased the proportion of solving success at the population level. At the individual level, an increase in squirrel population size decreased the latency to successfully solve the novel problem the first time. More importantly, increased direct human disturbance, squirrel population size and experience with the novel problem decreased problem-solving time over time. These findings highlight that some urban environmental characteristics shape two phenotypic extremes in the behaviour-flexibility spectrum: individuals either demonstrated enhanced learning or they failed to solve the novel problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pizza Ka Yee Chow
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, 82319 Starnberg, Germany
- Division of Biosphere Science, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10W5 Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Kenta Uchida
- Division of Biosphere Science, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10W5 Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | | | - Itsuro Koizumi
- Division of Biosphere Science, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10W5 Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
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24
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Animal Creativity as a Function of Behavioral Innovation and Behavior Flexibility in Problem-solving Situations. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2021; 56:218-233. [PMID: 33733318 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-020-09586-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
A natural approach of animal creativity through insightful problem-solving may offer a panel of how physiological, contextual, cultural and developmental variables related to each other to produce new behaviors. The spontaneous interconnection of acquire behaviors is an Insightful Problem-Solving model based on the new combination and/or chaining of behaviors that were previously and independently trained. This model seems to offer an integrative alternative for the studies of Innovation and Behavioral Flexibility because it allows the research on innovation in a scenario in which the response that solves the problem situation is not available by trial-and-error. Measuring task-appropriateness by behavior flexibility and novelty by behavior innovation under insightful problem-solving paradigm can contribute for the integration of decades of evidence in Cognitive Psychology, Neuro-ethology, Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Neurosciences. The Insightful Problem-Solving allows the independent test of behavioral innovation and behavioral flexibility as it measures the behavioral innovation inside insightful test and tests if the BF depends on variables arranged in the problem-situation and/or on the previous training (e.g. familiarity with access to appetitive stimulus in the pre-test, the number of distinct behaviors trained, and contingency changes in the post-test).
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25
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Johnson-Ulrich L, Yirga G, Strong RL, Holekamp KE. The effect of urbanization on innovation in spotted hyenas. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:1027-1038. [PMID: 33687598 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01494-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization represents a dramatic form of evolutionary novelty in the landscapes inhabited by many extant animals. The Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis suggests that innovation, the process by which animals solve novel problems or use novel behaviors, may be key for many animals when adapting to novel environments. If innovation is especially beneficial in urban environments, then we would expect urban animals to be more innovative than their non-urban counterparts. However, studies comparing innovative problem-solving between urban and rural habitats have produced mixed results. Here, we hypothesized that these findings result from comparing only two levels of urbanization when related research suggests that the stage of invasion of urban habitats likely has a strong effect on demand for innovation, with demand being highest during early establishment in a novel environment. To test this hypothesis, we assessed innovation in three locations where spotted hyenas experienced varying degrees of urbanization. Spotted hyenas are relatively innovative compared to other carnivores and, although many large carnivores in Africa are endangered, spotted hyenas remain abundant both inside and outside protected areas. We measured innovation with a multi-access puzzle box with four different doors through which hyenas could obtain a food reward. We predicted that hyenas in a transitional, rapidly urbanizing habitat would be more innovative, measured by the number of unique doors opened, than those in rural or fully urban habitats. Contrary to our predictions, hyenas in the rural habitat were the most innovative. These results challenge the idea that the evolutionary novelty associated with urbanization favors greater innovativeness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Johnson-Ulrich
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, Rm 203, Natural Sciences Bldg, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA. .,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, & Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. .,Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya.
| | - Gidey Yirga
- Department of Biology, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, Mek'ele, Ethiopia.,Theoretical and Applied Biodiversity Research, Ruhr Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Robyn L Strong
- Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya
| | - Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 288 Farm Lane, Rm 203, Natural Sciences Bldg, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, & Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya
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26
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Abstract
Explaining how animals respond to an increasingly urbanised world is a major challenge for evolutionary biologists. Urban environments often present animals with novel problems that differ from those encountered in their evolutionary past. To navigate these rapidly changing habitats successfully, animals may need to adjust their behaviour flexibly over relatively short timescales. These behavioural changes, in turn, may be facilitated by an ability to acquire, store and process information from the environment. The question of how cognitive abilities allow animals to avoid threats and exploit resources (or constrain their ability to do so) is attracting increasing research interest, with a growing number of studies investigating cognitive and behavioural differences between urban-dwelling animals and their non-urban counterparts. In this review we consider why such differences might arise, focusing on the informational challenges faced by animals living in urban environments, and how different cognitive abilities can assist in overcoming these challenges. We focus largely on birds, as avian taxa have been the subject of most research to date, but discuss work in other species where relevant. We also address the potential consequences of cognitive variation at the individual and species level. For instance, do urban environments select for, or influence the development of, particular cognitive abilities? Are individuals or species with particular cognitive phenotypes more likely to become established in urban habitats? How do other factors, such as social behaviour and individual personality, interact with cognition to influence behaviour in urban environments? The aim of this review is to synthesise current knowledge and identify key avenues for future research, in order to improve our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of urbanisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E Lee
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
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27
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Chow PKY, Clayton NS, Steele MA. Cognitive Performance of Wild Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Rural and Urban, Native, and Non-native Environments. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.615899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced cognitive ability has been shown to impart fitness advantages to some species by facilitating establishment in new environments. However, the cause of such enhancement remains enigmatic. Enhanced cognitive ability may be an adaptation occurring during the establishment process in response to new environments or, alternatively, such ‘enhancement’ may merely reflect a species’ characteristic. Based on previous findings that have shown ‘enhanced’ cognitive ability (i.e., higher success rate in solving novel food-extraction problems or, ‘innovation’) in Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), a successful mammalian invader and urban dweller, we used an intraspecific comparative paradigm to examine the cause of their ‘enhanced’ cognitive ability. We conducted a field study to compare cognitive performance of free-ranging squirrels residing in rural and urban habitats in native (United States) and non-native environments (United Kingdom). By using established tasks, we examined squirrels’ performance in easy and difficult, novel food-extraction problems (innovation), a motor memory recall test of the difficult problem, and a spatial learning task. We found that the four groups of squirrels showed comparable performance in most measures. However, we also found that the native urban squirrels showed: (1) higher success rate on the first visit for the difficult problem than the non-native urban squirrels; (2) some evidence for higher recall latency for the difficult problem after an extended period than the non-native rural squirrels; and (3) learning when encountering the same difficult problem. These results suggest that the previously reported ‘enhanced’ performance is likely to be a general characteristic and thus, a pre-adaptive phenotypic trait that brings fitness advantages to this species in a new environment. Despite this, some cognitive abilities in gray squirrels such as solving novel problems has undergone mild variation during the adaptive process in new environments.
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28
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Vrbanec L, Matijević V, Guenther A. Enhanced problem-solving ability as an adaptation to urban environments in house mice. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202504. [PMID: 33593181 PMCID: PMC7934975 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have a large impact on the distribution and abundance of animal species worldwide. The ecological effects of human-altered environments are being increasingly recognized and understood, but their effects on evolution are largely unknown. Enhanced cognitive abilities and the ability to innovate have been suggested as crucial traits for thriving in human-altered habitats. We tested if house mice (Mus musculus) subspecies have evolved enhanced innovative problem-solving abilities throughout their commensal lives with humans. The time that subspecies lived commensally with humans ranges between approximately 3000 years to more than 11 000 years, thus providing an excellent example of human-animal coexistence. In addition, we tested whether differences in problem-solving were mediated by differences in object and place exploration, motivation, persistence or inhibitory control. We found that populations of subspecies living commensally the longest excelled in problem-solving across seven food-extraction tasks over subspecies living commensally short or intermediate times. These differences were not mediated by exploration, motivation, persistence or inhibitory control suggesting that subspecies have evolved better cognitive abilities when living commensally in urban environments. This suggests that the ability to problem-solve may be an important trait promoting prosperity in human-altered environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Vrbanec
- Research Group Behavioural Ecology of Individual Differences, Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Vanja Matijević
- Research Group Behavioural Ecology of Individual Differences, Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Anja Guenther
- Research Group Behavioural Ecology of Individual Differences, Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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29
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Mazza V, Guenther A. City mice and country mice: innovative problem solving in rural and urban noncommensal rodents. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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30
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31
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Wat KK, Banks PB, McArthur C. Linking animal personality to problem-solving performance in urban common brushtail possums. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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32
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Johnson-Ulrich L, Benson-Amram S, Holekamp KE. Fitness Consequences of Innovation in Spotted Hyenas. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
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33
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Solaro C, Sarasola JH. Urban living predicts behavioural response in a neotropical raptor. Behav Processes 2019; 169:103995. [PMID: 31698033 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Behaviour is expected to be one of the most important factors driving urban living of bird species because it largely determines how animals interact with their environments. The contribution of different behavioural traits as facilitators of contemporary process of bird colonization of urban environments, however, is still unclear. Here we examined the differences in three behavioural traits: neophobia (avoidance of a new object) and solving success and solving latency of a problem solving test related to obtain food, in rural and urban living individuals of a common diurnal Neotropical raptor, the chimango caracara (Phalcoboenus chimango). Moreover, for solving success and solving latency behaviours, we tested the plasticity (i.e., habituation) in birds. Urban and rural chimangos showed similar neophobia of a new object. All chimangos showed an improvement in their output in problem-solving test as the five-day testing passed but urban chimangos showed higher solving capabilities than rural conspecifics as they were more successful in solving the problem test. More, urban birds shown lower solving latency than rural, as they were able to improve their test performance by opening doors in less time as the day passed; in rural birds this relation was not so abrupt. In addition, those individuals that opened more doors, opened these faster too. Lastly, both solving success and latency showed very low individual consistency (repeatability < 0.275). Our results provide evidence of plasticity in solving capabilities of chimango caracaras which reveal that a habituation process in these behavioural traits could be associated to establishment of birds in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudina Solaro
- Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina (CECARA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Avda. Uruguay 151, Santa Rosa CP 6300, La Pampa, Argentina; Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Mendoza 109, Santa Rosa CP 6300, La Pampa, Argentina.
| | - José H Sarasola
- Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina (CECARA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. Avda. Uruguay 151, Santa Rosa CP 6300, La Pampa, Argentina; Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Mendoza 109, Santa Rosa CP 6300, La Pampa, Argentina
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34
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Caterpillar phenology predicts differences in timing of mountain chickadee breeding in urban and rural habitats. Urban Ecosyst 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-019-00884-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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35
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Vincze E, Pipoly I, Seress G, Preiszner B, Papp S, Németh B, Liker A, Bókony V. Great tits take greater risk toward humans and sparrowhawks in urban habitats than in forests. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ernő Vincze
- MTA‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Ivett Pipoly
- MTA‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Gábor Seress
- Department of Limnology University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Bálint Preiszner
- Balaton Limnological Institute, Centre for Ecological Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences Tihany Hungary
| | - Sándor Papp
- Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate Csopak Hungary
| | - Brigitta Németh
- Centre of Environmental Sciences Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
| | - András Liker
- MTA‐PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
- Department of Limnology University of Pannonia Veszprém Hungary
| | - Veronika Bókony
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
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36
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Huebner F, Fichtel C, Kappeler PM. Linking cognition with fitness in a wild primate: fitness correlates of problem-solving performance and spatial learning ability. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0295. [PMID: 30104438 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Linking the cognitive performance of wild animals with fitness consequences is crucial for understanding evolutionary processes that shape individual variation in cognition. However, the few studies that have examined these links revealed differing relationships between various cognitive performance measures and fitness proxies. To contribute additional comparative data to this body of research, we linked individual performance during repeated problem-solving and spatial learning ability in a maze with body condition and survival in wild grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). All four variables exhibited substantial inter-individual variation. Solving efficiency in the problem-solving task, but not spatial learning performance, predicted the magnitude of change in body condition after the harsh dry season, indicating that the ability to quickly apply a newly discovered motor technique might also facilitate exploitation of new, natural food resources. Survival was not linked with performance in both tasks, however, suggesting that mouse lemurs' survival might not depend on the cognitive performances addressed here. Our study is the first linking cognition with fitness proxies in a wild primate species, and our discussion highlights the importance and challenges of accounting for a species' life history and ecology in choosing meaningful cognitive and fitness variables for a study in the wild.This article is part of the theme issue 'Causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Huebner
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany .,Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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37
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Prasher S, Evans JC, Thompson MJ, Morand-Ferron J. Characterizing innovators: Ecological and individual predictors of problem-solving performance. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217464. [PMID: 31188843 PMCID: PMC6561637 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioural innovation, the use of new behaviours or existing ones in novel contexts, can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences for animals. An understanding of these consequences would be incomplete without considering the traits that predispose certain individuals to exhibit innovative behaviour. Several individual and ecological variables are hypothesized to affect innovativeness, but empirical studies show mixed results. We examined the effects of dominance rank, exploratory personality, and urbanisation on the innovativeness of wild-caught black-capped chickadees using a survival analysis of their performance in two problem-solving tasks. Additionally, we provide one of the first investigations of the predictors of persistence in a problem-solving context. For lever pulling, we found a trend for dominants to outperform subordinates, particularly in rural birds, which did not align with predictions from the necessity drives innovation hypothesis. When examining possible explanations for this trend we found that older chickadees outperformed younger birds. This follow-up analysis also revealed a positive effect of exploratory personality on the lever-pulling performance of chickadees. Our results suggest that experience may foster innovation in certain circumstances, for instance via the application of previously-acquired information or skills to a novel problem. As we found different predictors for both tasks, this suggests that task characteristics influence the innovative propensity of individuals, and that their effects should be investigated experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Prasher
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julian C. Evans
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Megan J. Thompson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie Morand-Ferron
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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38
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Abstract
Human-driven rapid environmental changes such as urbanization challenge the persistence of animal populations worldwide. A major aim of research in urban ecology is to unravel which traits allow animals to successfully deal with these new selective pressures. Since behavior largely determines how animals interact with the environment, it is expected to be an important factor determining their success in urban environments. However, behavior is a complex trait and fully understanding how it contributes to urban success is not straightforward: different behaviors may help animals deal with urbanization at different levels of biological organization. For instance, at the species level, urban exploiters often share behaviors that allow them to successfully forage and reproduce in urban areas. However, these behaviors are not necessarily the same that differentiate urban populations from populations of the same species in less disturbed environments. In addition, individual-level studies are essential to identify which mechanisms favor survival and reproduction in urbanized settings. Yet, longitudinal, mid-to-long-term studies of animal behavior at the individual level have largely been limited by logistic challenges. Here, I suggest that research programs in urban behavioral ecology should consider studying behavior at species-, population-, and individual-levels to achieve an integrative understanding of how animal behavior governs urban success. I use recent research carried out in Anolis lizards as an example to illustrate recent progress in behavioral urban ecology. Finally, I suggest some avenues of research at the individual level that could bring insight toward an integrative perspective of the role of behavior in urbanization. Integrative research programs in urban behavioral ecology will provide valuable insight to design management measures to maximize biodiversity and preserve ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Lapiedra
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Edifici C Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
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39
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Sepp T, McGraw KJ, Kaasik A, Giraudeau M. A review of urban impacts on avian life-history evolution: Does city living lead to slower pace of life? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:1452-1469. [PMID: 29168281 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The concept of a pace-of-life syndrome describes inter- and intraspecific variation in several life-history traits along a slow-to-fast pace-of-life continuum, with long lifespans, low reproductive and metabolic rates, and elevated somatic defences at the slow end of the continuum and the opposite traits at the fast end. Pace-of-life can vary in relation to local environmental conditions (e.g. latitude, altitude), and here we propose that this variation may also occur along an anthropogenically modified environmental gradient. Based on a body of literature supporting the idea that city birds have longer lifespans, we predict that urban birds have a slower pace-of-life compared to rural birds and thus invest more in self maintenance and less in annual reproduction. Our statistical meta-analysis of two key traits related to pace-of-life, survival and breeding investment (clutch size), indicated that urban birds generally have higher survival, but smaller clutch sizes. The latter finding (smaller clutches in urban habitats) seemed to be mainly a characteristic of smaller passerines. We also reviewed urbanization studies on other traits that can be associated with pace-of-life and are related to either reproductive investment or self-maintenance. Though sample sizes were generally too small to conduct formal meta-analyses, published literature suggests that urban birds tend to produce lower-quality sexual signals and invest more in offspring care. The latter finding is in agreement with the adult survival hypothesis, proposing that higher adult survival prospects favour investment in fewer offspring per year. According to our hypothesis, differences in age structure should arise between urban and rural populations, providing a novel alternative explanation for physiological differences and earlier breeding. We encourage more research investigating how telomere dynamics, immune defences, antioxidants and oxidative damage in different tissues vary along the urbanization gradient, and suggest that applying pace-of-life framework to studies of variation in physiological traits along the urbanization gradient might be the next direction to improve our understanding of urbanization as an evolutionary process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuul Sepp
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ants Kaasik
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
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40
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Schell CJ. Urban Evolutionary Ecology and the Potential Benefits of Implementing Genomics. J Hered 2018; 109:138-151. [DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esy001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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41
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Senar JC, Garamszegi LZ, Tilgar V, Biard C, Moreno-Rueda G, Salmón P, Rivas JM, Sprau P, Dingemanse NJ, Charmantier A, Demeyrier V, Navalpotro H, Isaksson C. Urban Great Tits (Parus major) Show Higher Distress Calling and Pecking Rates than Rural Birds across Europe. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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42
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Kang F, Goulet CT, Chapple DG. The impact of urbanization on learning ability in an invasive lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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43
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44
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Cauchard L, Angers B, Boogert NJ, Lenarth M, Bize P, Doligez B. An Experimental Test of a Causal Link between Problem-Solving Performance and Reproductive Success in Wild Great Tits. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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45
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Yorzinski JL, Ordonez KA, Chema KT. Does artificial light pollution impair problem-solving success in peafowl? Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Yorzinski
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences; Texas A&M University; College Station TX USA
| | - Kimberly A. Ordonez
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources; Purdue University; West Lafayette IN USA
| | - Kailey T. Chema
- Department of Animal Sciences; Purdue University; West Lafayette IN USA
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46
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Griffin AS, Netto K, Peneaux C. Neophilia, innovation and learning in an urbanized world: a critical evaluation of mixed findings. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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47
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Morand-Ferron J. Why learn? The adaptive value of associative learning in wild populations. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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48
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How to stay perfect: the role of memory and behavioural traits in an experienced problem and a similar problem. Anim Cogn 2017; 20:941-952. [PMID: 28698931 PMCID: PMC5559565 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1113-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
When animals encounter a task they have solved previously, or the same problem appears in a different apparatus, how does memory, alongside behavioural traits such as persistence, selectivity and flexibility, enhance problem-solving efficiency? We examined this question by first presenting grey squirrels with a puzzle 22 months after their last experience of it (the recall task). Squirrels were then given the same problem presented in a physically different apparatus (the generalisation task) to test whether they would apply the previously learnt tactics to solve the same problem but in a different apparatus. The mean latency to success in the first trial of the recall task was significantly different from the first exposure but not different from the last exposure of the original task, showing retention of the task. A neophobia test in the generalisation task suggested squirrels perceived the different apparatus as a different problem, but they quickly came to apply the same effective tactics as before to solve the task. Greater selectivity (the proportion of effective behaviours) and flexibility (the rate of switching between tactics) both enhanced efficiency in the recall task, but only selectivity enhanced efficiency in the generalisation task. These results support the interaction between memory and behavioural traits in problem-solving, in particular memory of task-specific tactics that could enhance efficiency. Squirrels remembered and emitted task-effective tactics more than ineffective tactics. As a result, they consistently changed from ineffective to effective behaviours after failed attempts at problem-solving.
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49
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Urban environments are associated with earlier clutches and faster nestling feather growth compared to natural habitats. Urban Ecosyst 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-017-0681-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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50
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Cook MO, Weaver MJ, Hutton P, McGraw KJ. The effects of urbanization and human disturbance on problem solving in juvenile house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2304-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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